Chapter 104: Lament, Longing, and Missing

She wiped her hands, neither angry nor happy, and said calmly, “At the very least, wait until Chu Hao gets back. After all, he’s taken care of you for so long. It wouldn’t be right to just leave without saying anything, would it?”

Guilt flashed across Ye Xiaojin’s face, but Wang Dezhou spoke up impatiently, “He took care of us? Is this house his? Is this land his? Or did you all serve me so well that I’m living in luxury? If it weren’t for Xiaojin, you people would have died of thirst long ago. I’ve already let you off easy, and now you want to keep Xiaojin here to work herself to the bone for you?”

Ye Xiaojin’s eyes reddened as she looked at Wang Dezhou, deeply moved, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Wang Dezhou patted her hand affectionately, “Don’t worry, Xiaojin. I won’t let anyone bully you ever again.”

Bian Changxi’s expression turned cold, a sneer forming in her heart. What a shameless, disgusting pair! Breathe in, breathe out—don’t get angry, don’t get angry. She’d promised herself not to pick fights easily. Besides, if these two treated her like nothing, why should she care? Why get angry?

Still, it was a shame Chu Hao wasn’t here. He really ought to see these people’s true colors—maybe then he’d stop being so naïvely kind-hearted.

She kept her poker face. “At least tell us where you’re going. Otherwise, when Chu Hao comes back, I won’t know what to say.”

The man leading them away watched for a while, feeling quite pleased with himself. Only when someone desperately wanted to keep Ye Xiaojin did it show she was valuable, and poaching her made him look even better. Hearing Bian Changxi’s words, he finally smiled, “Oh, that’s a nice way to put it. Now that you see they’ve got a way out, you’re interested too, huh? Let me tell you, Brother Wang here is the most capable man in town, with plenty of men under him. Only by following him will you get to eat. If you want to come along, hurry up—I’ll vouch for you. We’re leaving for Sucheng tomorrow. If you’re late, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”

Wang Dezhou’s eyes flickered. He didn’t know what this Bian woman’s background was, but she didn’t look weak. If she came along and started stirring things up, life for him and Xiaojin would get difficult.

He squeezed Ye Xiaojin’s hand.

Ye Xiaojin was a bit confused, but remembered what her boyfriend had told her—Chu Hao and the others wouldn’t let her leave easily. After all, a water ability user was so precious. But weren’t they being forced to leave? If these people had been more united, stronger, she wouldn’t want to go. But if they didn’t make up their minds now, once the others left tomorrow, they’d be stuck here forever.

The thought sent a chill down her spine. She looked at Bian Changxi with sadness and pleading, “Miss Bian, please don’t make things harder for me. We really have no choice but to leave. I know it’s not right, but…” She looked around, went back to her old room, and brought out an empty bucket. Placing her hand on the rim, she started filling it with water, continuing, “I’ll give you one more bucket of water. Please, just let me go.”

Bian Changxi felt a surge of anger shoot straight from her feet to the top of her head. She clenched her fists tightly, barely restraining herself from kicking them out. But she didn’t lose her temper—someone else did.

“Get lost! Who wants your water? The farther you go, the better!”

Everyone turned to see a tall figure standing by the roadside, his clothes fluttering like a burlap sack, but his presence was intimidating.

He strode over, grabbed Ye Xiaojin by the collar, and tossed her aside, knocking over Wang Dezhou. He turned back, about to dump out the water, but remembering how hard it was to get water these days, he held back. Instead, a fireball, dark red with a blue-black core, exploded at their feet, sending dirt and grass flying. “Still not leaving?!”

Bian Changxi stared in shock at Chen Guanqing. Who would have thought this usually quiet man had such a temper? He must have been pushed to the brink.

She felt immensely satisfied, but still not quite enough. Glancing at the pitifully small amount of water in the bucket, she got a sudden thrill, turned back into the house, grabbed her own half-full bucket, mixed the two together, and then dumped the whole lot over Ye Xiaojin and Wang Dezhou, drenching them from head to toe. She sneered at their stunned faces, “Just because you have a little use, you think you’re somebody? You think no one can survive without you, Ye Xiaojin? Let’s see what kind of life you get after ‘switching sides’ today!”

A first-level water ability user, slow as molasses at producing water, can’t even develop an attack skill—what a joke!

She laughed inwardly, feeling utterly refreshed. This is exactly the kind of person you shouldn’t hold back against!

Chen Guanqing glared at her for a moment but said nothing. He turned back to glare at the two, scaring them so much they didn’t dare protest, just scrambled up off the ground. Wang Dezhou spat out, “You… you just wait!”

Bian Changxi curled her lip. Sure enough, the heavens are fair. Why is it that people like this always end up with faces full of sores? Just like Zhang Yuwen—it must be punishment for being so dumb yet always scheming.

Once everyone was gone, the place fell quiet. Bian Changxi stood to the side, silent. Anran stayed out of the way, not daring to make a sound. Chen Guanqing stood there for a while, expressionless, then unexpectedly bent down to pick up the two buckets and quietly put them back inside.

Bian Changxi looked at him. “You didn’t run into Chu Hao?”

Chen Guanqing stiffened. “No.”

He came out again, sat down on a bench, and stared off into space.

Bian Changxi shrugged and ignored him, going back to make dinner. Of course, she filled all the empty buckets with water from the creek. She was never short on water, and her own water was the most satisfying to drink. Even though she raised fish and shrimp in it, and sometimes used it for washing, as long as she took it out of the creek and willed it to be clean, it was absolutely pure—no algae, no parasites, nothing but sweet, clean water.

Before it got completely dark, Chu Hao finally returned, with George and Granny Gu in tow. None of them were hurt, just exhausted—physically and emotionally. When he heard Ye Xiaojin had left, Chu Hao was stunned for a moment, then just waved his hand, picked an empty room, and went in without even bothering to eat.

The night passed without incident. Before dawn, everyone was awakened by Anran’s scream. They rushed over to find Granny Gu lying peacefully, her body cold—she’d been gone for some time.

Chu Hao staggered, then collapsed to the ground. “I should have known. Yesterday when I got back, I tried to persuade her to leave, but she just smiled—said her wishes were fulfilled, said she had no more regrets. So that’s what she meant…”

Bian Changxi sighed. Granny Gu’s heart had already died, her body worn out. There was nothing left in this world for her to hold onto. Once she let go, it was like an oil lamp burning out—she passed naturally and peacefully. Maybe that was a kind of release.

She glanced at Chen Guanqing, whose face was numb but whose eyes were full of sorrow. She thought, he must feel the same way.

Everyone helped cremate Granny Gu. Chu Hao took out all her old belongings, clothes, and family photos from his storage space and burned them together, leaving only one photo of Granny Gu. He murmured to himself, “I dropped out of high school. I had nothing, knew nothing, looked everywhere for work and got rejected everywhere. I’ve seen all kinds of ugly faces. Do you know how much I hated the world back then? I wanted to strap on a bomb and blow myself up in the most crowded place…

“If it hadn’t been for Lao Liu, sending me money every month despite his family’s objections, I’d have ended up begging or dead. I came here for one last shot. The town was just starting to develop—there was work everywhere, but it was dirty and exhausting. I’d collapse by the roadside with my wages, and the foreman would come at night with his men, beat me up, and steal my money.

“I begged the people nearby for help, went to the police, but all I got was ridicule. Granny Gu secretly told me to stop making a fuss or I’d lose my life. She took me home, fed and clothed me, even rented me a room when I couldn’t pay. Her husband beat her, her son complained, but she never kicked me out. I swore I’d be good to her, take care of her in her old age.”

He looked up, lost, as if his soul had left him. “But why did it have to end like this? Tell me, why?!” Suddenly, he grabbed Chen Guanqing, eyes red. “Lao Liu, are you going to end up like Granny Gu too? Are you going to die just to get it over with?”

Chen Guanqing said dully, “I don’t know. I just… I don’t want to leave this place. I can’t leave her here alone…”

It was so dirty, so chaotic, so terrifying here. That hotel was so dark, never seeing sunlight. His Xiao Ai—his sweet, clean, cheerful, timid Xiao Ai—was all alone here. Was she scared? Was she lonely? Did she miss him and feel sad?

They’d promised never to be apart.

Seeing his friend like this, Chu Hao’s heart ached for him. What should have been a happy wedding had turned into a disaster when the apocalypse hit. That hotel became a giant tomb. He never wanted to remember that night—he only knew that from the moment only the two of them walked out, with the bride forever left inside, his world had collapsed.

He clawed at his head in pain. Why couldn’t it have been him? Wouldn’t it have been better if the lonely one died?

George stood off to the side, staring blankly, then suddenly grabbed his head and started crying, muttering in a language no one understood. Bian Changxi caught a few words—he was calling for his parents, saying he wanted to go home.

She looked at the three men breaking down, then gazed into the vast, empty sky, not a cloud in sight. The sunlight stung her eyes. Suddenly, she missed Bai Heng—missed him so, so much.

Her hand was tugged. She looked down to see little Anran’s face.

That face, with its split philtrum, crooked teeth, and bruised cheek, was so ugly. But the fear and worry in her eyes made it clear that, beneath the less-than-ideal exterior, she was just a six- or seven-year-old girl—no different from any other child, maybe even more fragile and sensitive, more in need of care.

For the first time ever, Bian Changxi reached out and patted her messy, dry hair. “Don’t worry. Things will get better.”

Thank you to “Girl Who Dreams of Love” for a pink ticket! Thank you to “Water Glass” for a pink ticket!